Commentary on the Defect of Lust - (3044)

What It is Not

It is easier to know something sometimes, by looking at what it is not. 

Lust is not sex, sexuality, sexual energy, the sexual act, sensations, impulses, sexual instincts, sexual energy accumulating etc. etc. It is something else.

It is

Lust is a collection of concepts, projections, fantasies and mental constructions related to: sex, sexuality, the sexual act, sexual sensations, sexual energy etc.

Lust is a projected use of the sexual function. It is really, at the end of the day, a destructive use of the sexual energy. It always ends up lowering one's energy, one's resources, one's dignity, one's self-respect, one's love for one's essence and inner Divinity and also one's relationship with one's significant other, as they say.

The reason why it is in the end a destructive use, is because it ignores balance, consciousness and spirit. Lust is something blind that only sees sensations, pleasure and matter (or form). 

Pleasure devoid of balance, consciousness and ethics sacrifices balance and ethics which are higher principles for a lower principle which logically brings lower results outside and inside of ourselves  -which are often painful.

Positive Use

The positive use of the sexual energy takes into account the higher principles which lust sacrifices.

Balance, consciousness and ethics or spirit always bring about happy, edifying, dignifying results.

Taking one thing into account while ignoring the other things that are in a relationship to it, destroys balance and imbalance always beings retribution and pain. Within sexuality is matter, consciousness and spirit, focusing on one of the three, ignoring the others is imbalance. However, human beings don't know that in sex there is consciousnesses and spirit. Therefore with lust the human being is always gets into trouble by only focusing on matter, sensations, etc. 

Conclusion

Lust is an added mental construction, that has been picked up through life's experiences and impressions. Much of it is personality, i.e. the imitation of things which do not naturally belong to us.

Lust is everything that we add onto sex, including our emotions about it. Lust is also an exaggeration, and an expectation of happiness or joy that is often out of proportion. Instead of putting our attention on the expectation one can wisely put one's attention on discovering what the right proportion of things are.

Obviously where one puts their attention on the wrong thing ignoring all else, one of course loses control. This is what happens to many men, where they lose their sexual energy.

End (3044).